A Night to Remember: Ben and Mal's Journey
by younglove12
Summary: New king Ben, and the kingdom of Auradon, are shocked when Mal announces she's pregnant. Now Ben must juggle kingship, senior year, threats of war, and the realization that he will be a father before graduation. What will he give up to preserve the kingdom and his family?
1. Chapter 1: Premonitions

**Chapter One: Premonitions**

Ben looked out over the courtyard and watched the sunset behind the mountains in the distance, casting a golden hue over the valley as it sank. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as adrenaline and anxiety began to flood his veins. He pulled his suit jacket a little tighter, half hoping that the tug would eliminate his nerves. It didn't work.

He jumped as he heard the large wooden door of his palace bedroom creek open. "Almost ready? Usually the guy is the first one ready," he heard his mother say with a chuckle. He turned from the window to face her and felt his nerves begin to calm as their gazes met. One of the qualities he loved most about her mother was her calming presence. When he was younger he was haunted by reoccurring nightmares of turning into a beast. In every dream he would watch in horror as his body morphed: his face was distorted into a long snout with fangs and his small hands evolved into paws with claws the size of a candlestick. Each time he would watch his beastly self run through the castle, only to meet Mrs. Potts in the hallway. She just stood, unmoving in her former teapot form, as his giant paw would raise. His screams always woke him up before he could watch Mrs. Potts be smashed to pieces. Before he opened his eyes he would hear his mother's footsteps rushing towards his room. He would feel more peaceful with each step he heard, and would be almost completely calm before she reached his bed to calm her with her soft touch and peaceful words. Even now, at seventeen-year-old, her presence calmed him. Now, instead of calming nightmares, her presence provided a peace amongst heated trade negations required by his recent kingship and a solid source of wisdom whilst navigating the constantly changing waters of high school and relationships.

"I'm just nervous," Ben said. "I don't know why, but I'm honestly more nervous for tonight than I was my coronation." His mother smiled as she continued to walk closer. She put her hand against his cheek, and she leaned into his comfort.

"Perhaps that's because you knew what to expect with your coronation, we had been practicing for weeks," they both smiled as Ben recalled the hours upon hours of rehearsals led by Cogsworth and Lumiere.

"It's just a dance anyways," Ben said.

"Never underestimate a dance," he heard his father's loud and recognizable voice call form his doorway. "A dance can change everything; it did for us." His parents met each other's eyes, and his mother smiled the way she always did when they saw each other. From the time he was little, one of Ben's only wishes in life would be to meet a woman that would look at him the same way his mother looked at his father.

"I fell in love with your father after that dance," his mother said quietly as she wrapped her arms around her husband. They gazed at each other for a moment, before turning their attention back to their son.

"I do believe your date is waiting downstairs," his father said. "And you guys should get going, you don't want to be late. Prom doesn't wait for a king." Ben smiled and took a step forward.

"You're right," he said. "Is the carriage ready?"  
"Of course!" As they began to walk towards the door, his father began to lag behind his mother. "Belle, can you give me and Ben a minute?" Belle looked confused but nodded.

"Sure, but don't be long, Mal has been waiting and you don't want to be late," she kissed her husband on the cheek before heading out the door.

"Is everything okay, dad?" Ben's met his father's gaze, and the former king placed his hand on his son's shoulder with a firm grip.

"I never had a prom," he said. "I was too busy being greedy and ruining a kingdom. But, I did attend my fair share of royal balls, and I know what happens after." Ben looked down with embarrassment, surely his father was not about to give him the talk, again. "I get it, you're young, you have a beautiful girl. Go and have a good time, son. A wonderful time! But don't do anything you're going to regret. Not just with Mal, I'm not just talking sex, although that certainly is included. Just don't do anything that will make you or our kingdom look bad. You're not just any kid going to prom, you're the king of the most influential kingdom in our realm."

"I know dad, I know," Ben said continuing to look at the floor. "You, Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, everyone in this castle has told me a million times." He looked back up to meet his father's gaze. "I know I'm the king, I know. But tonight I just want to be a kid going to prom with his girlfriend. You don't need to worry." His father smiled.

"Good," he began walking towards the door. "Now let's go see your date, she is beautiful, if I say so myself." Ben smiled, thankful he had his father's approval. He knew his father had been skeptical of his initiative a year ago to integrate the children of villains into society. Even after Mal proved herself at his coronation, Ben knew his parents were still skeptical of her. He couldn't blame them. But, for tonight at least, he felt he had their approval.

The anticipation began to build with each footstep down the stone hallway towards the ballroom. The crowd's chatter below quieted as their shadows approached. By the time the two kings reached the grand staircase the crowd was silent. Ben sucked in a deep breath as he looked down the stair case, and saw Mal waiting for him. Her teal ball gown with with sparkles on the chest perfectly complimented her purple hair. He felt the crowd's gaze go from him, to Mal, and back at him.

"You know, usually the woman is the one that usually descends down the staircase," dad joked with Ben through his plastered smiled as they walked down the staircase.

"That wouldn't have happened if you allowed Mal to get ready upstairs, instead of forcing her to stay in the room in the castle the furthest away from mine," Ben replied through his smile. One of the first things royals learned was the art of having heated conversations through fake smiles.

"I didn't realize there would be so many people," Mal said as she embraced Ben at the bottom of the staircase.

"I didn't either," Ben said as he turned his gaze towards his mother. Belle shrugged.

"It was me, dear," Mrs. Potts called as she made her way through the crowd. Mrs. Potts had worn the same variation of an outfit since he was born, and Ben could easily spot her round self and bubbly voice as she made her way through the crowd. Despite her bubbly personality, everyone knew Mrs. Potts, the castle manager, ran a tight ship. Ben knew she had done more to hold his kingdom together than he or his father had.

"It's not every day our young king heads off to his first prom," Mrs. Potts chippered. "You look handsome, my Ben. And Mal, you look _ab-so-lute-ly_ dashing." One of Mrs. Potts' most praiseworthy qualities was her ability to make every person, even those Ben knew she didn't like, feel welcomed and loved with one glance. "Mal, my dear, I hope you don't mind. The staff members here work so, so hard to keep the castle running. I thought it would be a nice treat for them to see you off. Usually, when pretty ladies are here in ball gowns with their handsome dates, they don't get to see them because they are working behind the scenes."

"Of course," Mal responded.

"And, I have a surprise for you, Ben," Mrs. Potts said as she pursed her lips.

"I can't believe you found someone stupid enough to go out with you," Ben heard a familiar voice call out behind him. He turned around to see his old friend, Chip, standing behind him. Chip was tall, just over six feet, with strawberry blonde locks that danced around his neck.

"Chip!" Ben explained, "What, what are you doing here?" They embraced a hug and Ben felt the camera around his neck.

"Mal, this is my friend, Chip. He's Mrs. Pott's son. We used to run around the castle together. He's been off at art school in another realm."

"Not just any school," Chip exclaimed. "Photography school!" He held up his camera, and ushered Mal and Ben closer together.

"I thought it would be nice if Chip came and took the royal prom portrait," Mrs. Potts explained. "You know, this _is_ the first prom one of our royals have ever attended." Ben smiled and pulled Mal closer, savoring the familiar smell of her perfume. As soon as the photograph was taken they were ushered to their carriage waiting out front.

Ben opened the carriage door and helped Mal step into it. Before stepping in Mal looked up at the stars and paused.

"When I was little," she said quietly, "I always thought stars were magical. That the universe surrounding them was somehow where all the magic was, and the stars were the little holes where the magic came in." Ben smiled at the thought.

"Maybe there will be a little magic for us tonight." A cool breeze began to blow, and sent a chill up Mal's spine.

"C'mon Ben," she said as she fully stepped into the carriage and pulled Ben with her. As they got settled in their seats across from each other and made their way down the bumpy driveway towards their school, Mal let out an excited squeal. She reached over and squeezed Ben's hand, their eyes met.

"Tonight is one of the nights we're going to remember forever," she said before leaning in to kiss him.

In the coming years, and decades, Ben would think back on this night often. He would wonder if his father had a premonition to what the night would hold, not only for Ben and the family, but for their entire kingdom. Did Mal know when she spoke how correct she was? That yes, indeed, Ben and Mal would remember this night forever, but not for the reasons Mal had thought. Tonight was not just prom night, it was the night that changed the realm forever.

* * *

 **Hello, readers! I would GREATLY appreciate any feedback! I've worked hard on this story, and would be incredibly thankful for any comments, ideas, or suggestions. I will incorporate suggestions into my upcoming chapters. Thank you! -Kris**


	2. Chapter 2: Under the Stars

**Chapter Two: Under the Stars**

When Ben and Mal walked through the door of the gymnasium, Evie immediately saw them and came running over.

"I'm going to get a drink, do you want one?" Ben asked Mal. She nodded, and he kissed her forehead before heading over to the drink table.

"Can you _believe_ Jay convinced Audrey to go with him?" Evie whispered as she and Mal watched the couple enter across the room.

"I think she was just getting desperate," Mal replied. "I mean, Jay is fun and all, but, he's not exactly _boyfriend_ material." Evie raised an eyebrow as Ben approached them, with drinks in hand.

"Well, we can't all have a prince," she replied with a smile. Ben greeted Mal with a kiss as he handed her a glass of sparkling berry juice.

"So, Evie, who'd you get to bring you anyways?" Ben asked taking a sip of his glass.

"Doug," she said with a smile as she watched him approach.

"You finally gave in?" Ben asked, taunting. Evie continued to smile, not taking her eyes off of him.

"I realized hearts are more important than looks," she said. "And, besides, we can't all have a prince, now can we?" Evie and Ben's eyes met, and they smiled.

"Princes are made from character, not birth," Ben explained. "Just look at my parents."

"Your mother still was not the Evil Queen," Evie snapped, creating an awkwardness within the group. Her scowl quickly turned to a smile as Doug approached. Mal knew how difficult this past year had been for Evie, especially since Mal and Ben began dating. However, she couldn't understand why Evie would stop bringing up the past. After all, it wasn't her mother that froze everyone at the king's coronation and attempted to destroy the entire kingdom. Evie took the drinks from Doug's hand and set them on the table.

"Let's dance!" She exclaimed and pulled Doug onto the dance floor.

"Well, for someone who is convinced she will never be royal, she certainly has the fake smile down," Ben said with a laugh as he wrapped his hand around Mal's waist.

"Well her mother _was_ the Evil _Queen_ ," Mal responded with a chuckle. Ben flirtatiously rolled his eyes.

"C'mon," Ben said as he led her to the dance floor. "I want to see my queen dance."

The night flew by, and the hours melted into minute. Soon enough, to everyone's surprise, Doug and Evie were crowned King and Queen.

"Oh, come on," Mal said as she and Ben slow danced during the last dance of the night. She watched as Ben envied Doug's crown. "You already are king. The real king. Prom King would have been a bit of an overkill, don't you think?"

"I know," he responded, still eyeing the crown upon Doug's head. "And, this will probably be Doug's only chance to wear a crown. It's not that I wanted to win, I guess. I just wanted you to be my queen." Mal smiled and pulled Ben closer.

"What is it that you always tell me?" She asked as she put her chin against his chest and looked up at him. "That I'm the queen of your heart?" Ben smiled as he leaned down and kissed her. He moved his lips closer to her ear.

"Well, then my Queen will be very happy to know that I have a surprise for her." He kissed her forehead before leading her by the hand off of the dance floor and outside.

"What are we doing?" Mal asked as they stepped outside in the cold. Her ball gown was sleeveless, and she shivered in the cold of the night.

"Mal, I have a surprise that you are going to love, just love," he did an excited jump as he turned and looked back at her as he walked towards the woods.

"Does this surprise involve hiking? I'm not exactly prepared." Ben smiled.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"I think so."

"Then come with me!"

When they reached the field the tall grass was already covered with the evening dew. Ben kept telling Mal how much she was going to love this surprise, and Mal became less convinced the further they walked from campus. When the reached the woods, Ben scooped her up and told Mal to close her eyes. He carried her for a few minutes, before he set her on the ground and told her to open them. She saw the most beautiful sight she had ever seen: a small field surrounded by the woods, completely lit up with fireflys. In the middle of the tall grass was a blow up mattress with a sleeping bag, and paper lanterns hanging from sticks.

"It's beautiful!" Mal exclaimed. "But how? We'll get in trouble if they find us!"

"Don't worry," Ben explained. "I had a freshmen set this up, he owed me. And, no one is going to find us. No one from the school knows where this is. When I was little, things weren't always so great in the castle. I know people think mom and dad are perfect, and that our family is perfect, but we're not. I remember one Spring, mom and dad seemed to fight all the time. Dad wanted to create a magical wall that would keep people from mom's world from crossing into ours and mom was opposed. They fought for weeks. When they were fighting, Chip and I would sneak out of the castle and go exploring. One night, we found this place. It was beautiful and peaceful, and seemed like a world away," he paused as he stepped closer to Mal and grasped his hands around hers. "I wanted to come here, and share this night with you. I wanted you to feel how peaceful this place is. I know you've had a crazy year, Mal, but I want you to know that you will always be safe with me. Always." He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. Mal smiled. Her body was filled with adrenaline and fear, she had never felt this way before. For the first time in her life, she felt completely safe and at peace. She even felt, well, loved. Yes, she knew Ben loved her, ever since he pretended to be under a love spell when they met last year. But, there was something about this, about Ben bringing her to a spot so special to him, that made her feel so loved and safe.

They walked over to the air mattress and sat down.

"The sky is so beautiful tonight," Ben said, looking up.

"Maybe there's some magic shining down on us," Mal said as she leaned in and kissed him. Their kisses became more passionate, and slowly Mal leaned him back. Ben felt himself become aroused, and moved his hands from the small of Mal's back to her arms, where he moved her off of him and turned his head sideways, ending their passionate kiss.

"What's wrong?" Mal asked through pants. "Is there, is there something wrong? Am I doing something wrong?" Ben smiled.

"No, not at all," he reassured her. "I just want you to know that we don't need to do anything. I didn't bring you here to do anything, really I didn't. I just wanted to spend time with you." Mal smiled, she was continually surprised by his respectfulness. If any other guy had brought her to an isolated field under the stars to an air mattress, she wouldn't have believed he didn't intend anything. But, she knew Ben was being honest. She leaned down so that their noses were touching.

"But, what if I want to do something?" She said flirtatiously as she leaned over and nibbled on his ear. "Would you stop me?" She began to unbutton his shirt, and slowly kissed at his neck. He felt himself become more aroused, and desperately tried to maintain his composure.

"But are you sure?" He asked. "Are you really sure? I want you to know we don't have to do anything."

"C'mon, Ben!" Mal said as she sat up. "I'm starting to think you don't like me. Like _you_ don't _want_ to do anything but want to place the blame on me."

"No, that's not it at all. I just, I know this is a big deal. It should be a big deal. I just know people have taken advantage of you a lot throughout your life. And I love you. I love you so much it hurts. And I just want this to be absolutely perfect and because you want to do this. Because we want to do this." Mal smiled, and fought back the burning in her eyes that meant tears were forming. Ben noticed. "Oh no," he said sitting up. "Baby, did I do something wrong?" Mal shook her head with a smile.

"No," she said. "I've just never felt this way before. This peace, this, this— " Ben cut her off.

"In love?" She nodded as tears continued to leak through her eyes. Ben pulled her down onto his chest into a tight hug. He felt his shirt get wet from her tears. Slowly, Mal moved off of his chest, and moved her lips to his neck. The excitement flushed away the nerves. She had never had sex before, and a strange sense of excitement went through her as she realized when she left this meadow, she would never be able to see that again.

Slowly she unbuttoned Ben's shirt and slid it off. She ran her hands slowly up and down his bare chest, and felt the goosebumps emerge. They had made out before, and once his shirt had come off. Mal was always so afraid of getting caught, and the good girl reputation that she had worked so hard to create being ruined, that she had always stopped them. As Mal continued to kiss and nibble Ben's neck he unbuttoned his pants.

* * *

 *****Note to readers*** The next part of this chapter shares of the beautiful night Ben and Mal spent together, and does describe the couple making love. However, I do not believe this to be too explicit, and was unable to change the ratings for this chapter, anyways...If you feel uncomfortable reading this, please skip to the next page break. If you chose not to read, a quick summary: Ben and Mal make love without a condom. It is awkward and beautiful for the both of them.**

"You won't be needing these, my king," Mal smiled as she kissed her way down to Ben's belt buckle and took of his pants. As she kissed his abdomen above the top of his boxers, Ben let out a moan of excitement. He interlaced his fingers with her purple hair and pushed her head, and her caressing lips, into his skin. In a burst of excitement he sat up. He began kissing the back of Mal's neck, and she moaned in excitement as she moved her purple hair over her left shoulder. She reached behind her and grabbed a clump of Ben's dirty blonde locks. She pressed his face against the back of her neck, shivering as his tongue ran from her ear to shoulder. She gasped as the cold spring air prickled her chest as Ben unzipped and lowered her dress.

As Ben lay her back onto the bed she covered her breasts. Ben untucked her hair from underneath her and spread it above her head. He smiled and ran his thumb against her cheek.

"You will always be the queen of my heart," he leaned down and kissed her forehead. She looked away, tightening her arms against her chest. Ben noticed that she was uncomfortable.

"We don't have to do this," he reminded her. "We can stop right now and I can turn around as you put your dress back on."

"It's not that," Mal attempted to explain. "It's just, I've never done this with anyone before. I don't want you to laugh at me." Ben smiled.

"I've never done this before, either, Mal. I'm just as nervous as you are. I promise I won't laugh. Besides," he said with a smile. "I've never seen boobs in person before, so I have no one to compare you too." They both let out an awkward laugh. "Who knows? I might be really bad, awful. Maybe tomorrow you'll be telling Evie how awful I am!" She smiled again, thankful for Ben's willingness to be patient.

"I don't think you could be bad," she said.

"And, hey, I don't need to look," Ben said. "I can do this with my eyes closed." He playfully closed his eyes.

"No, no, no. I want you to look. I want you to see me, see all of me. Love all of me."

"I already love all of you," he said with his eyes still closed. Mal smiled, and slowly moved her hands off of her chest, and to his face.

"You can look now," she said, feeling extremely embarrassed once she did. Without looking at her chest, Ben leaned down and kissed her. When he did, she felt his erect penis through his boxers against her leg. _Wow_ , she thought. _I'm actually doing this_.

"Look," Mal said turning away from their kiss. "I worked up the courage, please look." Ben smiled.

"Well, if you insist." He sat up, and looked at them for several seconds without saying a word.

"So?"

Ben turned his head, perplexed. "Well, they're beautiful, I just don't know what to do with them." They both laughed.

"Obviously, we're pros. I think it feels good if you kiss them and such. Well, that's what Evie says." Ben smiled and kissed her on the forehead before slowly pecking down to her left breast. He moved his hand slowly up her side before cupping her other breast in his hand. With is right hand he flicked her breast, and slowly sucked and nibbled her left. Mal had never felt anything like this before, and she dug her nails into his back and pulled him closer. She let out a scream of pleasure. He continued to play with her breast, trying different things to see what brought her the most pleasure, before slowly kissing down to her belly.

"Why are you…why are you wet down here? You didn't pee, did you?" He asked sheepishly. Mal laughed quietly. His awkwardness—from the handsome young king who usually knew all of the answers—made her feel more at ease. She was thankful to share this moment with him.

"No, I didn't pee," she giggled. "Girls have stuff come out to make it easier for you to go in." Ben smiled with understanding.

"That's cool."

"Now it's my time to see you." Ben sat up.

"You promise not to laugh? A lot of a man's ego is tied up in his size, you know."

"I won't laugh." Mal's excitement heightened as she watched Ben slide off his boxes. She looked at it for a few moments.

"Well, it's not as big as I thought it would be," she said. Ben let out an embarrassed sigh. "What? You guys always talk like they're huge. So I always thought they were huge. I've seen bigger hot dogs." Ben laughed.

"I can't believe you just compared me to a hot dog." He leaned down and kissed her again. He was so nervous. He knew the guys were usually portrayed as being confident, and knowing what they were doing, but he had no idea. When he had talked with Jay about this stuff, Jay had always said that they guy would "just know," that his body would tell him what to do. After about fifteen more minutes of foreplay, Ben felt like it was time. He sat up.

"Are you ready?" He asked. Mal nodded. Ben slowly spread her knees apart, and ran his thumb up and down her inner thighs. He pulled her closer, and lifted her lower back a little off the ground. He used his hand to maneuver himself to her.

"Go slow," Mal said. Ben nodded, and slowly guided himself inside of her. Mal let out a scream and placed her hand over her mouth.

"What's wrong?"

"It just hurts."

"Do you want me to stop?" Mal shook her head. Evie had told her that the first time hurt, in fact, the first time wasn't very fun at all. However, Mal wanted to keep going. This was a perfect moment, and even if it hurt, she wanted to do this with Ben. Ben listened to his body, and began the slow rhymic motion of moving in and out. Although it physically felt good, he was too busy worrying about the mechanics, making sure he was doing it right and not hurting Mal, to enjoy it fully.

Mal reached and placed her hands behind Ben's neck and pulled his face against hers. They were both breathing heavily at this point, and moving awkwardly, to fully enjoy kissing. Mal was thankful that it wasn't so much a pain anymore as uncomfortable. After five minutes Ben began to breathe much more heavily, and his thrusting became more intense.

"I feel like I'm about to go," Ben said, and, soon enough, Mal felt him release inside of her. Ben let out a deep breath and kissed Mal. He remained inside of her for a moment, and felt the strangely please sensation of them throbbing against each other. When he pulled himself out he noticed the blood and fear ran through him.

"Oh, no, Mal!" He whispered. "Did I hurt you? Are you ok?" Mal shook her head.

"That's suppose to happen after your first time," she said. She felt tears begin to burn through the back of her eyes. She tried to quickly wipe away her tears before Ben noticed, but she was unsuccessful.

* * *

 **This final section is after they couple made love.**

"Baby, are you okay, what's wrong?" He asked leaning down against her, so that their chests were touching and their faces were above ach other. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

"Nothing," she said and she placed her hand against her cheek. "I don't know why I'm crying. It's not that I'm sad or happy, it's just a really emotional thing." Ben nodded, trying to understand. "I love you," she said. Ben took in a sharp breath and felt an odd sensation go down his spine. This was the first time she had said that, and it felt more wonderful than he could have imagined. Ben felt tears well up in the back of his eyes.

"Oh, baby, I love you, too," he leaned down and kissed her as his tear slid off of his cheek onto hers. They laid there, enwrapped in the cool spring night under the light of the stars for awhile, just holding each other and crying together, enjoying the magic of being held in the safety of the arms of their first love, and soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **Hello, readers! I would GREATLY appreciate any feedback! I've worked hard on this story, and would be incredibly thankful for any comments, ideas, or suggestions. I will incorporate suggestions into my upcoming chapters. Thank you! -Kris**


	3. Chapter 3: Abandoned Regret

**Chapter Three: Abandoned Regret**

Mal awoke because she felt an unfamiliar cold against her face. She slowly opened her eyes, and was surprised as trees and tall grass became clear from her blurry vision. She paused for a second as she looked out over the meadow, confused as to why she was here. As the events from the previous night came to memory, fear began to well in her stomach. The fear soon overwhelmed her, and she quickly started to move as adrenaline began to pump through her veins. She untwisted herself from Ben's arms and stood up, using the top blanket to clothe herself as she frantically searched for her dress.

Ben sat up slowly as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. Although he was surprised by the sunlight that was beginning to stream into the meadow, he was confused as to why Mal was running around.

"Mal what's wrong?"

"Where' my dress?" She hissed as she held the blanket tight around her and walked around the the mattress. Ben could hear her fear, and knew she was fighting back tears.

"Mal, what's wrong?" He asked again.

"Nothing," she replied as she tucked hair behind her ears. She found her teal dressed and shook it as she picked it up to knock off the morning dew.

"Don't lie to my Mal, I know something's wrong."

"So now I'm a liar?"

"Mal, _c'mon,_ just talk to _me_."

"Turn around."

"What"

"I said _turn around_." Ben rolled his eyes and complied.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No."

"Was it bad?"

"No."

"That what _was_ it, Mal?" Ben heard her struggling to zip her dress and stood up to help her zip it. At first Mal refused to let him touch the zipper, before reluctantly giving up.

"That's the problem," She hissed turning around. Her tear filled eyes met Ben's, and he was surprised at how beautiful the tears made the color look. "The problem is that I liked it, liked being with you, ok. But we can't be like this. You know we can't be like this. Summer is almost here and you'll be rushed back to your castle, and I'll be forced back to the island. Your parents will fix you up with some girl, or something, and you'll forget about me." She put her hands against Ben's bare chest, and savored the feeling, the closeness, of her skin against his. "We don't love each other, we can't. The king can't love a girl from the Isle of the Lost." Ben felt anger begin to well up in his stomach. How long was she going to be like this? How long would he have to continually tell Evie, and now Mal, that he cared for them? That they were not destined to be their parents? That their actions this past year already proved they were not destined to be their parents? He gripped his hands around Mal's wrists, met her gaze, and lowered her voice.

"Stop it, Mal. You know that isn't true. I love you, and you love me."

"Do I? Do I now?" Her lack of affirmation caused physical pain to pierce through his chest. "I can't love you, Ben, and you can't love me," She forcefully removed her hands from his grip, lifted up her dress and marched through the wet grass towards the entrance to the woods.

"C'mon Mal!" Ben yelled, and his voice echoed from the trees. "There is no need to be like this! You _do_ love me!" She didn't turn back. "You don't even know how to get back to school!"

"I'll find it!" And at that she disappeared into the woods. Ben then realized that he was still naked and sat forcefully down on the air mattress. _This is great, just great_ , he thought. He realized he probably just became the first member in his royal line to lose his virginity before his wedding night, and gave it to a girl to show her how much he loved her, only to be trampled on and abandoned. He had never felt so much anger and hurt at the same time. Unsure of what else to do, he rested his face in his palms and cried. He was alone, exposed, and abandoned in a meadow that no one knew about. He had shown a woman the most intimate side of himself to be completely rejected. _What a pathetic king_ , he thought, and, for the first time, regretted ever bringing Mal and her friends back into his kingdom.


	4. Chapter 4: The Plan

**Chapter Four: The Plan**

Mal walked quietly through the empty stone hallways of her dormitory towards her room. Although her surroundings were silent, her mind was flooded with the voices and sounds from the night before, as she relived the events over and over and over; every word, every kiss, every sound. When she reached her room she placed her forehead against her door and took in a deep breath. _What am I going to do?_ She thought. She was unsure of what she regretted most: last night itself or how she had just left Ben. _Sleep, I need sleep_. As she opened the door she was surprised to see Evie sitting on her bed, staring at her. Mal rolled her eyes and quietly closed her door, dreading the conversation that was about to come.

"Well, well, well," Evie said as she raised an eyebrow. She sat on the edge of the bed, with one leg over the other, bouncing her foot as she always did when she was excited. "So what did you and Ben _do_ together last night?" Mal rolled her eyes and stomped over to her dresser. She pulled out her pajamas and swapped them for her dress without saying a word as the tension in the room continued to build.

"I think you know," Mal said as she slammed a drawer shut. Evie sat up straighter on the bed and leaned in closer Mal.

"I never thought you would be the one having sex after prom and not me," Evie said with a laugh. "I tried," she sighed, "But Doug was just too...nervous." She waited for Mal's laugh, but it didn't come. "So you guys actually did _it_? You guys actually had sex?" Mal looked at the floor, unsure of what her friend was actually asking. Of course Evie knew they had had sex, so Mal didn't understand why she was playing this pathetic game. Mal looked at the floor before raising her eyes to meet Evie's gaze. When their eyes met Mal shrugged.

"Yeah," and at her admission tears began to fill her eyes. She dragged her feet over to her bed and buried her face in her favorite pillow.

"Oh, Mal, what's wrong?" Evie asked crawling up beside her and moving Mal's purple hair from her face. "Was it bad? Was he bad? Because it would be ab-so-lute-ly hilarious if Mr. Perfect well, wasn't so perfect."

"Oh Evie, shut up!" Mal said as she rolled over. Evie paused, perplexed. What had happened last night?

"Mal," Evie said quietly. She made sure to adjust her tone so Mal knew she was being serious. "He didn't force you to do anything right?"

"What?" Mal asked, surprised. "How could you think that?"

"Well I'm just trying to figure out what happened, and you're not helping me." Mal sat up and put her pillow in her lap as she nervously played with its frills.

"You promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Of course."

"It was perfect, Evie, and that's the problem." Evie raised an eyebrow, half in sarcasm and half in confusion. She had never seen anyone act this way after a perfect night. "He was so kind. He led me to this field that he used to go to when he was little, and it was filled with fireflies and paper lanterns, and there was a bed. It was beautiful, and I really didn't feel pressured at all. And, at every step he kept making sure I was okay, I felt totally safe. But no one tells you how awkward it is. Like, it's _really_ awkward, but even with that he was so sweet. But it hurt, but at the same time it felt so good to be close to someone I love." Evie raised her eyebrows again, surprised to have just heard the big L word come out of her friends' mouth. Mal noticed. "That's the problem Evie. I told him I loved him and he cried." Evie laughed out loud and put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from going any further. _Don't taunt him right now_ , she thought, _support your friend_.

"He cried?"

"It was really beautiful," Mal explained, and then there was silence. "We love each other."

"And you're upset because you had a great first time with someone you love?" Mal rolled her eyes.

"You don't get it do you? We can't love each other. We can't. He's who he is and I'm who I am. And I may be being selfish, but I can't allow myself to love him, someone who is guaranteed to break my heart. Losing my mom, someone who didn't really love me, was hard enough. I don't think I could handle losing someone I actually cared about."

"So you're just scared," Evie said as a statement and not a question. Mal nodded before burying her face into the pillow on her lap.

"Oh, Mal," Evie began to rub her hand against her friend's back. "You're one of the bravest people I know. It makes sense that love would be the only thing that could terrify you."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Well, when you love someone, you in a way give them permission to hurt you. It's like always having a person that could betray you at any moment, but choosing to believe that they won't. That's scary. I mean, I bet if I ever had sex with someone I loved I'd be acting the same way you are. The fear of being rejected is scary. You're not being stupid." The reassurance put Mal at an immediate ease. They sat in silence for several moments before there was a knock at the door.

"It's probably him," Mal whispered. "And I don't want to see him." Evie nodded and stoop up, and answered the door for her friend. She slowly cracked the door open, and sure enough, it was him. Ben looked surprised, and embarrassed, to see her.

"Oh, hey Evie," he stuttered. Mal smirked. This was the first time she had seen the always confident king nervous. "You're up early." He attempted to peak behind her to see if Mal was in the room.

"She's sleeping," she lied. Ben shook his head.

"She's right there, I see her sitting on the bed." Evie stepped sideways, attempting to block Ben's view. "C'mon Mal. Can't you just talk to me, tell me what's going on?"

"She doesn't really want to see you," Evie said, speaking for her friend. Ben changed his focus from Mal to Evie. He lowered his voice.

"Look, I don't know what's going on. But I love her." Evie felt Ben's heartbreak come through his voice, and she had pity on him. She looked over her shoulder to Mal, and then stepped outside with Ben.

"Look, Ben," Evie said quietly. "I know you love her, okay. I know. But she's just scared and she needs her space. The more you push her, the more she is going to push you away. Give her time. See someone else. Show her that you can be with other people. Make her jealous. You have to make her want you." Ben shook his head in frustration.

"You're telling me I should see someone else to make her jealous?" He clarified. Evie nodded.

"You need to make her see that she wants you. There's no better way to do that than making her jealous."

"But that makes no sense."

"Girls don't make sense, Ben. Trust me, I'm one of them and I still get confused," they both laughed a little.

"So you think I should go out with Audrey?"

"Well if she's not with Jay."

"Oh," Ben said with a sudden boost of confidence. "Jay is no competition for me." Evie smiled at him. She was jealous of Mal. She would give anything to have a prince like Ben interested in her.

"And I know you don't mean anything," Evie said. "Well you don't actually like Audrey do you?"  
"No," Ben said shaking his head. "And don't you think it's mean to do this to Audrey?" Evie shook her head.

"Do you want Mal back or not?" They both looked at each other. Ben finally lowered his head and ran his fingers thorugh his thick dirty blonde hair in frustration.

"Alright," he said. "I'll do it. I'll ask Audrey to get some ice cream or something and make sure Mal sees. But, Evie, if this goes wrong it's going to be your fault."

"Just trust me, Ben. Okay?" Ben nodded again and headed off towards Audrey's door. Evie stepped back inside.

"You don't need to worry about him anymore," she said as she sat next to Mal again. Mal rolled over and put her head back in her pillow. She didn't feel relieved at all, but hurt, and was surprised she had to resist the urge to run out the door after him. _It will be better this way_ , she thought to herself, and pulled her blanket over her and tried to go to sleep.

 **As always, please leave feedback! I'd love ideas and it's nice to know people actually read this.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm

**Chapter Five: The Calm Before the Storm**

Mal forcefully shoved her french-fries into her ketchup.

"I just can't believe he's _with_ her," she hissed as she continued to angrily tap her fry. "Like, what does he even _see_ in her?" She grabbed the salt and began shaking it. Evie raised an eyebrow, puzzled, yet amused, by her friend's behavior.

"You don't even like salt," Evie said taking the canister from her. "You literally just dumped the entire ocean on your fries." Mal came out of her frustrated daze and noticed the visible pile of rocks on her food. She rolled her eyes and walked them over to the trashcan. She made sure to throw the fries so that there was a loud thud. Ben looked over, just as she had wanted, and she made sure to smirk at him. To her dismay, he smiled. _What a jerk!_

"Did you see that?" She said to Evie.

"Isn't this what you wanted? Three weeks ago you said you wanted him to move on." Mal opened her mouth but no words came out, she knew her friend was right. She rolled her eyes, and stormed off.

 _Maybe Evie was right_ , Ben thought as he watched Mal storm out of the courtyard. He felt guilty using Audrey to get Mal to want him again, but he felt he had no choice.

"Can you _believe_ that?" Audrey's voice brought Ben back to reality. She looked at him and giggled awkwardly as she waited for his response. She touched his knee, "Babe, I said could you _believe_ that?" Ben shook his head, unsure of how to answer since he had not been listening to her all of lunch. He was too busy thinking about Mal, missing her, and reliving the night that they had spent together after prom.

"You weren't listening to me, were you?"

"Sorry, I was too busy thinking."

"About what?" She snapped. She followed Ben's gaze to the door where Mal had gone back into the school. "Babe, are you thinking about her again?"

"What?" Ben tried to act surprised. "Who? Mal? No. I'm thinking about some of the king stuff I have to do." Audrey looked relived.

"Good," she giggled. "That's why I was trying to tell you about the castle my parents are letting me stay in this summer. They're going to be away on business for several weeks, so I'll be there by myself most of the time." She raised an eyebrow flirtatiously and put her bare knee against his. She leaned in and whispered, "So you should come visit." Ben was surprised at how uncomfortable her advances made him. He was frustrated with himself, _what kind of seventeen year old guy rejects advances from a beautiful girl?_

"We'll see," he said with a smile as he leaned in and kissed her forehead to remove any doubt. Audrey didn't look satisfied with his answer."It's my first summer as king, so I'll be busy, too."

"Wasn't it more fun just being a prince? You could have the servants, the castles, without the responsibility?"

"But then I wouldn't be able to help people as much."

"People like them?" Audrey smirked and looked over at the table where the kids from the Isle of the Lost sat. A group of students surrounded Jay as he demonstrated how he could fit an entire sword in his mouth while balancing on one hand. Ben rolled his eyes.

"I'm not having this conversation again with you," Ben said as he stood up from the table. Audrey realized she had upset him and stood up after him.

"I'm sorry, Ben."

"Are you?" Ben snapped, and then felt immediately guilty. He put his tray back down on the table and then put his hands on her should. "I'm sorry, too. I'm under a lot of stress right now but I still shouldn't take it out on you. I need to go get some work done for finals. I'll talk to you later, ok?" He kissed her forehead again. As he walked inside guilt and frustration began to build in the pit of his stomach. _Who am I? Who have I become?_ He wondered.

 _Who am I? Who have I become?_ Mal wondered as she leaned against the counter in the mailroom. Her head was throbbing with a headache and she rubbed her temples as the mail clerk searched for her package in the back.

"Getting packages is always so exciting," the clerk said from the backroom. She was a large elderly woman with her white hair tied in a tight knot on top of her head. "Do you know what you're getting? Or is it a surprise? I absolutely love surprises!" Mal began to wonder if the clerk actually wanted to have a conversation, or if she just liked to hear her own self talk.

"I think it's a late birthday gift," Mal lied.

"When was your birthday?" Mal paused. The clerk's high pitched voice was worsening her headache. Was it really any of her business, anyways?

"Awhile ago."

"December sixteenth," a familiar voice said behind her. She jumped, and turned around. Ben was so close to her that she touched him as she turned. She curled her lip and pushed him away.

"Go back to Audrey," she said. She began to massage her temples again as she placed her elbows back down on the counter. Ben was unsure of what to say. Should he just admit what he was doing? Did Evie tell her? Should he just play it cool.

"I'm just doing what you wanted," he said placing his mouth next to her ear so no one could hear. The clerk emerged from the backroom and placed the small box in Mal's hands.

"Would everyone stop saying that?" Mal yelled and she pushed Ben out of the way to storm back to her dormitory.

"What do you want from me?" He yelled back. Students standing nearby turned and looked at him, and then began whispering to their peers. _Great, just great_. Ben composed himself and then turned to the clerk.

"Do you know who that package was from?" He asked. Ben was quite curious as to who would be sending Mal a birthday gift, especially this late. Mal never mentioned having any other family, and her mother was in a box in Ben's dungeon and all of her friends were here.

"Oh," the woman said as she pursed her lips. "I'm not allowed to disclose that information." Anger welled within Ben, why could no one just give him a strait answer?

"I'm you're king," he stood taller. The woman shook her head and squinted her eyes.

"Then act like it," she shook her finger at him before turning and marching away. Ben slouched up against the wall.

"Today is _just_ not my day," he whispered. Ben had no idea how much worse his day was about to get, and that this was just in fact the calm before the storm.

 *****Please leave feedback. I incorporate suggestions into future chapters**


	6. Chapter 6: Guilt

**Chapter Six: Guilt**

Mal made sure to lock her bedroom door behind her as she headed towards her bed. She fumbled through the rectangular brown package. She fought back tears, and she was unsure if she was crying from anxiety, frustration or both. She sat down as she managed to pull out the purple box.

 _Early Pregnancy Test_ , she managed to read. The instructions became increasingly difficult to read through her tears, and as her nerves caused her to shake the box. Unable to control her shaking hands she placed the paper on the bed. _Able to detect pregnancy_ _five days before missed period!_ She was supposed to get her period the previous week. At first she dismissed it, thinking it was only nerves and stress from the breakup. However, her fear was literally making her sick, and she needed to know now.

Pregnancy was a little different in Auradon. With so many magical creatures, spells, and magic, humans didn't always get pregnant the traditional way. When they did, they usually had unusual magical pregnancies, or knew they were pregnant as soon as it happened. In fact, the more Mal thought about it, the more she realized none of her friends from the Isle of the Lost were conceived the "traditional" way. When Mal had inquired her mother about her own conception, she had just mentioned something once about a magical spell, but was reassured that she as human. _Was Ben conceived through magic?_ Mal wondered. _His father was once a beast, after all. But, then again, his father was a human before magic turned him into a beast._

"Ben," Mal whispered as she let out a sigh. She needed him with her, she wanted his comfort and reassurance, and he should be here too. Mal became angry at herself and threw the box on the ground. _Why am I so stupid?_ Mal felt pathetic and ashamed. For once, someone had loved her, truly loved her, and she pushed him away. Now she wanted him, she needed him, and it may be too late. Even if they were together, he was still the new king. What would this do to him? Everything he worked for? Surely his ability to rule would be questioned, perhaps he would even be taken off the thrown. Mal also knew, if she was pregnant, her intentions would be questioned. She would be blamed, and people would wonder if she was somehow doing this to gain control. Commentators, like Snow White, still brought up the fact that she almost stole the wand at Ben's coronation, even though that was over six months ago. Ben had assured her on multiple times that that would always linger in people's memory, however, so would the fact that the daughter of one of the most evil creatures in the realm's history chose good over evil.

Mal walked over and picked up the box from the floor, summoning enough courage to face whatever fate the box would tell her she had.

"Mal?" Evie's voice called from behind the locked door. Her voice startled Mal, causing her to drop the box. She quickly picked it up and shoved it in the top drawer of her dressed. Evie tumbled with the locked door. "Mal what's wrong?" Mal attempted to compose herself before letting Evie in.

"You look awful," Evie said noticing Mal's red face and puffy eyes. "What happened to you? Did you run into Audrey?" _Quick, think of something_.

"I've decided I want Ben back."

"You do?" Evie screeched. She picked Mal up and swirled her around. "I knew my plan would work." As soon as those words came out of her mouth Evie paused. Mal quickly loosened herself from Evie's grip.

"What plan?" Evie bit her lip and attempted to craft something clever to say. She'd been working on how she was going to tell Mal for the past week but had been unable to come up with anything convincing. She let out a deep sigh and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"You promise to remember how much you love me?" When Mal gave no response, Evie decided it was best to just disclose the entire plan with Audrey.

"How could you do that to me?" Mal shrieked. "How could he listen?"

"Look, Mal," Evie said trying to calm her friend down. "I didn't know what else to do. He didn't know what else to do. We didn't know what you wanted, you're just so, _confusing_ , sometimes." A deep anger that Mal had never felt before began to bellow within her. She had never felt so betrayed. At least when her mother had used her as a pawn in her sick mission to gain control Mal knew she could not have expected different. But this, her own friend, telling her boyfriend to move on to another girl? Betraying her? How could she?

"If I'm so confusing then why don't you just leave?" Mal yelled as loud as she could. For the first time, Evie felt frightened by her friend. Mal marched up to her door. "You know what, you actually stay here, I'll leave." She stopped at her threshold, "I guess I couldn't have expected anything different from the daughter of the Evil Queen." She was too angry to exert energy slamming the door, and instead marched down her stone dormitory.

The physical hurt from Mal's words caused Evie to fall on the bed. She had been though dozens of breakups, and never had a good home life, but never, ever had she felt the sickening feeling of guilt and rage that began to build in her abdomen. _This is her fault_ , Evie continued to tell herself. _I will not feel guilty_. As Evie's glance moved towards the floor and her eyes began to burn with tears she caught a glimpse of the photo sitting on Mal's nightstand: it was a picture of the two of them beneath the fireworks at Ben's graduation. As a tear fell, the guilt set in.

 ******As always, I WOULD SO GREATLY APPRECIATE REVIEWS! I've decided to post smaller chapters so that you get new stuff more quickly. Is that a good idea?*****


	7. Chapter 7: Whatever Happens

**Chapter Seven: Whatever Happens**

Mal's rage carried her down the hallway, and she wondered if this was how her mother felt before she took off. _Where is he?_ She scanned each hallway she passed. It was nighttime so he wouldn't be outside, therefore, she just needed to locate him within one of the buildings. She stopped as she passed by the windows of the library. _That's him_. She could recognize the back of his head from anywhere. _And that's her_. Seeing them together increased her rage, and forced her into the library.

Students turned on their heels to watch her as she marched by. Ben and Audrey looked up because they heard her coming before they saw her.

"Oh, it's just _you_ ," Audrey hissed before turning to look back down at her book. Audrey glanced at Ben, anxious as to what he was going to do _. He chose me,_ she attempted to reassure herself _. There's no way he will go back to her…I hope_.

"How dare you?" Mal screeched the only words that came to her. "Not just to me but to Audrey. How _dare_ you?" Ben felt fear begin to rush through his veins. _Oh no, she knows_.

"Ben, what is she talking about?" Audrey asked making sure to not have her eyes meet Mal's. Before he could answer, Mal interrupted.

"He doesn't like you Audrey. He's doing this as some sick scheme he and Evie came up with to get me back." Audrey laughed so hard she snorted.

"Yeah, right," she responded as she flicked her hair. "Ben is better than that." Mal raised her eyebrow as she placed her hand on her hip.

"Really?" She asked. "Are you Ben?" Before he could answer the familiar sound of quick steps in the library interrupted his thought.

"This behavior may be acceptable where you come from," the librarian snapped. "But I will not tolerate it in my library. Get out!" The librarian pointed towards the door.

"Tell Audrey what you did!" Mal yelled as the librarian took her by the elbow and began to lead her out the door. "Tell her!" Audrey had to wipe sweat from her forehead as she began to panic.

"Ben?" Ben shook his head. _Evie_.

"I'm sorry," Ben said standing up. He stood up so quickly that his chair fell over. He decided an explanation was not necessary, Audrey was smart enough to figure it out. And, besides, if he stayed any longer he did not think he would be able to handle the guilt. He ran out after Mal, and pushed past gawking onlookers.

"Your behavior was absolutely unacceptable, especially for a king," the librarian remarked as Ben passed her, and he realized this was the first time he had heard her speak. _Great, what a great first time_. Ben was sick of everyone reminding him of his kingship. Sure, he was a king, but he was also a seventeen year old boy.

"Mal!" He yelled as she chased after her. "Mal!" She turned around and her eyes flashed with rage.

"What?" She yelled. Her voice echoed through the stone hallways. Without thinking Ben ran up to her, put both of his hands on her cheeks and pulled her into a kiss. To his surprise he was met with a slap.

"I hate you!" Mal screamed as she took off again towards her room. "I wish you never brought us here! I wish I never met you!" Her words cut through his heart like a sharp knife.

"Mal," he said as tears ran down his face. "Mal!" He chased her in silence back to her dorm room. She fumbled to get her door open, and his foot stopped her from slamming it. She threw a pillow back at him from her bed before barrying her face in her pillow.

"Can we just talked?" He begged as his voice cracked. "Please? You said you loved me Mal, and I know you meant it."

"You want to talk?" She yelled, her voice hoarse. "What have you turned into Ben? Lying to Audrey and treating us both like that?"

"Don't you dare put this on me, Mal. You want to talk, okay, let's talk! I show you nothing but love for the past year, I take you to a special place to me, I give you my virginity, and you just leave! Like our night was nothing, like I was nothing. I give you everything I have and you treat me like I'm nothing. You know the control you have over me and instead of appreciating it like a sane person you manipulate me when it's convenient for you. Why should it bother you if I'm with Audrey and if I like her or not? If you _want_ me gone as much as you say you do, you _should_ be happy!" His words cut through her and guilt began to swarm within. She knew he as right and she couldn't think of anything to say back. In the silence she could hear Ben breathing hard from his rage, and it reminded her of the night they had spent together.

"Because I need you now," she finally responded. Ben rolled his eyes.

"Why, because you're _lonely_? That's great Mal," she got up from her bed and walked towards her dresser. "You only need me when you're lonely, that's not how love works!" She grabbed the box and tossed it at Ben. He caught it in midair.

"You want to know what I got in the mail today?" she said quietly. "Well, there it is." He didn't even look at it.

"Why are you changing the subject?"

"Just look at the damn box!" she yelled. Ben was physically taken back, this was the first time he had heard her swear. In fact, he realized that was the first time he'd heard anyone swear in person. He looked over at the box, he'd never seen anything like it.

"What is it?" He asked, lowering his voice. As soon as he did, he regretted it. The word pregnancy immediately jumped out again. He asked the question again, this time not out of confusion but out of fear. Mal nervously twiddled her hands together.

"I think I'm pregnant," she whispered. Ben realized the door was open and went up and shut it. The last thing he needed was the school finding out about this. Hopefully they would be so busy gossiping about the fallout in the library that no one would be looking for him.

"What, what do you mean you _think_?" Mal rolled her eyes and went back to her bed.

"Like, I'm late and I'm never late. And I just feel different."

"Well sometimes I feel different after I eat a beef burrito but that doesn't mean I'm pregnant." Mal rolled her eyes and sat on her bed. She took a deep breath before placing her head in her hands in beginning to cry. Panic began to paralyze Ben as the gravity of the situation sunk in.

"Baby, I'm sorry," he said as he sat next to her. He began to run his hand up and down her back and she felt her muscles relax.

"I just really need you right now," she said between cries. He pulled her closer to him and she relaxed in the comfort of his arms. She had forgotten just how comforting he was. They sat there for awhile before Mal suddenly stood up and took the box from his hand.

"I just have to know," she said as she wiped the last tear from her puffy face. "Do you want to do it with me?"

"Do it with you?"

"Well, like wait here and I'll bring it back?" Ben nodded and nervously ran his hand against his knee.

"Of course." She smiled faintly before heading into the bathroom. As she closed the door panic flooded Ben. _This can't be happening. This can't._ As odd as it may sound, Ben didn't even think it was possible to get pregnant before marriage. Well, when he had learned about human reproduction with the wide variety of magical creature reproduction, he realized it was technically possible. But, in a land so full of magic, and he the heir and King to the most important throne in the land, he never thought it could happen. Hadn't his parents had someone or something put some spell over him to protect him from messing up this bad. What would happen if people found out about him and Mal? What would happen to him? To Mal? His kingdom? A million different scenarios began to run through his head, and the minutes passed quickly due to the fear. _Don't worry about that yet, it's probably just a scare_.

Mal emerged from the bathroom with a cup in one hand in the stick in the other. Ben had to wipe his hands on his pants because they were so sweaty. He stood up as she placed the cup on her dresser.

"It's a lot harder to catch your pee than it looks," Mal said with a smile, trying to ease the tension. Ben's face twisted.

"That's your pee?" Ben squirmed, he hated bodily fluid. All of it. It was suppose to stay inside of the body after all.

"This isn't a magic stick, Ben," she said as she dipped the top of the stick in the liquid. "It's ones that humans use from non-magical realms. It says to dip this part of the stick in here, and a few minutes, it will tell us if our future is about to change."

"My mom's from a non-magical realm, you know?" Ben said, trying to change the subject.

"What? Really?" Ben nodded.

"Yeah, talk about a shock when she ended up in an enchanted castle!" They both laughed awkwardly.

"Okay, the box says we should know within sixty seconds." Ben reached over and squeezed Mal's hand. Although she may have thought it was for her comfort, Ben needed her strength. She was the strongest woman he knew, and he needed her right now. They needed each other. Ben pulled her in front of him, and tucked a strand of her dangling purple hair behind her ear.

"Mal, whatever happens, I love you. For you. Not because you're pregnant or because you're not. Whatever happens, we'll face it together." She nodded and he kissed her forehead. Soon after, the test beeped. They both sucked in air. Here it was the moment of truth. Mal's hand was shaking so bad when she picked up the test that she thought it would be difficult to read, but, the word was perfectly clear. _Pregnant_.

 *****PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS AND SUGGESTIONS *****


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